Academy of Nightmares
by DarkDreamer253
Summary: In an alternate universe, XANA doesn't exist, or at least not as a computer virus. The gang is just a group of normal teens. But in this world, creatures exist, so their everyday is a bit different. Each one of them is a different type of creature and the academy is used for training creatures, or humans with abilities, to control their powers.
1. Arriving at the Academy

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: In an alternate universe, XANA doesn't exist, or at least not as a computer virus. The gang is just a group of everyday normal teens. Unfortunately, creatures exist in this universe, so their everyday is a bit different. Each one of them is a different type of creature and the academy is used for training creatures to control their powers. Though they also train humans with abilities to control their powers as well.**

**I live on Lyoko, that doesn't mean I own it... Okay, so the living on Lyoko thing wasn't true, but I really don't own. If I did, the fifth season would be premiering already.**

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**-Yumi's POV-**

I arrived at Kadic Academy, the place where I would be learning to control my abilities. I was a bit upset that the rules included that we weren't allowed to disclose what kind of creature we were to other students. I could tell who was human, but creatures all had the same scent, just a bit stronger than humans.

Some of them had strong scents and some of them differed, just like with humans. It was impossible to tell the difference between creatures though. Being a vampire wouldn't help me with that. Though it would help that unlike the stupid myths of normal humans, I wasn't afraid of sunlight.

I just sat on a bench in the sun. Even though I could still get a bad sunburn very quickly, I liked sitting in the sun. It was nice. I just sat there for awhile, thinking about what was happening. My parents moved here suddenly and I had to say goodbye to my friends. I didn't know why we left. There was a school in Japan that also taught creatures to control their powers.

I was starting to think it was my controlling grandfather that forced us to leave. He wanted my father to take over the family business, but didn't want to and grandfather had been tracking him down since, trying to force him into it. I sighed and still just sat there, having nothing more to do than think.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-Jeremie's POV-**

I walked up to the school and I was a bit nervous. One of the rules was that we couldn't reveal our true nature, but I'd never really been able to control when I turn into my dragon form. I even started to loose control now, my right arm turning to yellow scales the same color as my hair. "Come on, not now," I pulled down my sleeve a bit to hide my hand.

I tried to get to my room as quick as I could. I ran in and shut the door. I dropped to the floor, sighing in relief. I then looked around, seeing two bed. "Oh, no. Please don't tell me I have a roommate." I knew I couldn't hide it forever if I had a roommate. There was just no way. Still, all I could do was hope I didn't freak him out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-Ulrich's POV-**

I was a bit annoyed that my father sent me here. It was like he didn't want me around anymore. Did he hate me that much? Then again, he didn't know my mother was a werewolf and I was going to be one too. Still, he stayed with her, even though she didn't tell him the truth until the day I was born. Him being a normal human, he still didn't like the idea so much and he proved that by acting like I didn't exist.

I looked around the schoolyard, seeing all the different people. They were all like me and that did make me feel a bit better. No one would judge me for who I am, even more so since I wasn't allowed to show them I was a werewolf. Still, being a werewolf made it easier to tell who was human, but I couldn't tell the difference between creatures.

I quickly gathered my bags and went up to my room. I saw bags already next to the other bed and realized that my roommate must have already arrived. I didn't see him around, but I heard something. It was barking, mixed with a bit of growling. "Great, an animal," I sighed," Animals naturally hate werewolves." I just ignored the small gray dog and started unpacking.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-Odd's POV-**

After arriving and getting my stuff in my room, I had to use the bathroom. I was washing my hands now and wondered if my roommate had arrived. The rule for me was going to be hard to follow. A human with a shape shifting ability, but stuck in a hybrid form. I always had cat ears and a tail.

My ears were easy to flatten and hide in my hair, since they were the same color. My tail, on the other hand, had to be stuffed in my pants. It kind of hurt and it was really annoying. Not only that, but with a roommate, I wouldn't be able to change in my own room without him finding out I was a shape shifter.

I headed back to see my roommate had now arrived. I heard my dog barking at him and growling a bit, which he normally didn't do. "Kiwi, stop that!" I scolded him, putting him in the drawer I'd left open for him and mostly closing it so he couldn't get out.

"I'm sorry about my dog," I told the brunette boy now staring at me," He doesn't normally growl like that. He's usually a good dog."

"Well, I'm not surprised he hates me," the boy replied," Name's Ulrich Stern. Nice to meet you, I guess."

"Odd Della Robia," I gave him my name in exchange," Ulrich. Isn't that German or something? They don't have a school for creatures in Germany, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ulrich told me," My dad shipped me away the first chance he got. Though I can't say I care. He never really seemed to get along with me anyway. Look, I don't really want to talk about this right now."

I kind of scowled, but didn't push the subject. I would've preferred a roommate more willing to talk to me.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-Aelita's POV-**

I hid my pointed ears the moment I got close to the school. I turned back to my father and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye, daddy. I hope you make progress with your research." I then left to go up to the school, but I waved to him one last time.

Even though we didn't live all the far, it was still too far of a drive for him. It did take a couple of hours to get here and back and that was too much time for dad to take out of his research everyday. My mom had passed last year, so she couldn't exactly do it either.

I saw everyone around me and it made me smile to see so many people like me. Well, not quite the same. After all, there were all types of creatures here. I was just an elf. Elves were one of the few creatures with no second form, so all I had to do was hide my ears.

I went up to my dorm room and saw two empty beds. "Oh, great, I've got a roommate," I smiled. I set my things by one of the beds and started unpacking. Once I finished I laid on the bed for awhile.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-William's POV-**

I was still on the bus to the school. I had a few marbles and Is was twirling them around an inch above my hand. I'd always had this power to move things. I just had to move my hands and think about what I wanted an they would move. Though that wasn't the only thing about me. I was born into a family of demons.

My entire family was demons dating back to my great grandfather with three extra greats. My demon form wasn't all that different from my human form though, not like most demons. My eyes changed red, I grew a pair of black wings and I had a small pair of black horns.

None of my family understood why I wasn't like the others, until they found out that my mother was actually a biomorphic human. She could morph into any living form she wanted, even to look like a demon. My father actually already knew, but never told anyone, not even me. After that, we were removed from the family and forced to leave.

The day we left was the same day I discovered my ability. I had shouted at my parents. I didn't want to leave. I'd ended up loosing control and crashing the plane we were on into the ground. No one survived but my father and I, being the only inhuman passengers on the plane.

After that, my father tried to take care of me as best he could, which wasn't always a good thing. After all, I wasn't full demon. I was different from him, but he treated me as if I was the same as him most of the time. I was kind of glad I'd be away from him for awhile. The bus finally stopped and I got off.

I waited for one of the teachers to take out my bags, then grabbed them. I looked at my room number and went up. I wasn't sure if my roommate was there or not, so I knocked on the door. "Hey, is anyone in there? If there is, I'm your roommate."

The door opened and a blonde boy with glasses stood there. He actually looked a bit younger than me. "Thanks," I gave him a bit of a smile, coming in," I'm William. William Dunbar. Nice to meet you." I held out a hand.

"Jeremie Belpois," he looked down at my hand, but didn't take it. In fact, it looked like he hid his own arm behind his back. "It's nice to meet you William. Strange that they would put a student a year ahead of me as my roommate though."

"I guess that is a bit weird," I realized it myself," Maybe there weren't enough rooms or something. Anyway, I'm going back out to the park or something." I told him that before dropping off my bags and leaving again. I just preferred to be alone unless I was with a girl I liked.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

**-Mystery Girl's POV-**

I walked up to the school and breathed in the fresh air. I'd always wanted to go to France and my parents let me come, even though there was already a creature school in America. Though I wasn't American and neither was my name, I'd lived there my whole life. My father left his homeland and came to America many years ago, though he never told me where he's from.

I was now in France, taking in everything around me. I'd actually never met another creature before today. Luckily, I could hide my icy blue wings the same color as my hair. I wasn't an angel like a lot of people thought when they saw me. I was a siren, which meant I was a good singer by nature, but I never used it to kill people like in legends and folklore.

I moved through the school and I seemed to stick out to the other students. I was a bit odd though. Blue wavy hair to the small of my back, pale skin, dark red eyes with flecks of gold in them. My clothes were a white tube top under a dark red vest with the sleeves torn off, black pants with three cloud patterns on the bottom of the left leg, and dark red combat boots with three black straps.

I just ignored the stares and continued up to my room, my bags in tow. I got up there and went in to see a pink haired girl already there. She looked my age and she was lying on one of the beds. She got up when she noticed me.

"Welcome," she gave me a big smile, then held out her hand," I'm Aelita Schaeffer."

"Xana Pilietis," I smiled back, shaking her outstretched hand," It's nice to meet you Aelita. I see you've already got one of the beds, I'll take the other." I set down my bags next to it. I was actually tired from my trip though and said," I'm going to take a nap, if you don't mind. After all, classes don't start until tomorrow."

"Of course, go right ahead," Aelita smiled again. I gave a small smile and climbed into the bed. I dozed off in less than a minute.

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**So, that was the first chapter. Next chapter will include all of them meeting one another. A review or two might be nice. I take both good and bad comments.**


	2. School Day

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: This chapter has everyone meeting each other. And it may get a little hectic.**

**Code Lyoko is owned by Thomas Romain. I am in no way associated with the show, besides that I am a major fan of it.**

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**-Third Person POV-**

After sitting in the park awhile, William had gone back up to his room to find that Jeremie was already asleep. he got in the other bed and tried to sleep, but it took about an hour. He always had trouble getting to sleep. He woke up the next morning, finding that Jeremie had already left the room. He got dressed and headed down to his first class.

When he got down there, he saw all the other students there. There were only a few seats left open, but he was focused on one in particular. The girl sitting in the seat next to that was beautiful to him.

She had straight raven hair reaching about chin length. Her skin was pale and smooth. She wore a black long sleeved shirt that cut off at her mid-drift. Her pants were also black in color. She had on black boots as well.

He went over to her and sat in the empty seat next to her. "Hey, I'm William," he gave her a smile.

"My name is Yumi," she gave me a smile back. The both of them sat down and waited for the class to start.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jeremie had gone to his class before his roommate woke up. He was taking out his supplies and books out of his backpack now. He left his laptop in there, he didn't really need it. He just felt better having it close at hand.

After that, he started looking at old pictures of him with his parents. It seems like so long ago that they were happy. They were normal, but for some reason he was a dragon. He had no idea why and because of it, his family was told to leave just about every place they went. All because he couldn't control when he turned into his dragon from.

He then heard a voice next to him, which surprised him and he quickly hid the picture," Is this seat taken?" He looked over at the girl who had asked him.

She was smiling at him when he looked over at her. She had bright pink hair. It was short, just barely enough to cover her ears. She wore a long sleeved light pink shirt with a hood. It was under a dark pink dress that reached her knees. A pair of pink boots with white at the top and a white streak down the middle covered her feet.

"Oh, uh... no," Jeremie was blushing now, looking away a bit," The seat is open if you want to take it. I don't mind."

"Thank you," she smiled and sat down next to him," My name is Aelita."

"Jeremie," he replied," It's nice to meet you Aelita."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ulrich woke up in the middle of the night. He never could sleep well on nights with full moons. He was just lucky he wasn't turning into his werewolf form. He could control when he went into his werewolf form, he just couldn't control what he did when in that form.

Just as a precaution, now that his roommate was asleep, he took out some silver chains and attached them to the bed. Silver may not kill werewolves, but it definitely weakened them. He hid the chains so Odd wouldn't see them. The only reason he had them was in case he started turning to his werewolf form without his control. It was the only way to restrain him.

After that, he tried to get to sleep again, but he couldn't. Not just because of the full moon, but because of Odd's loud snoring. "I need to get some earplugs or something," he mumbled to himself, then got up early to get ready for school. Once he was ready, he went to get some breakfast before heading to class. After getting some food, he sat down at an empty table.

Odd got up not long after his roommate, Kiwi getting out of his drawer and licking his face to wake him. "Oh, hey Kiwi," he smiled and pet the little dog. He got up after that and stretched like a cat before getting dressed. After he got his food, he saw Ulrich sitting alone. He sat down at the table.

"You know, you don't have to sit by yourself," he told him as he started eating," After all, we're roommates now, so we should try to be friends."

"How can you eat like that?" Ulrich saw that he had a lot of food on his tray.

"What? That's just how I eat," Odd shrugged.

"Yeah, but how can you eat so much and still be so scrawny?" Ulrich wasn't sure if it was even possible.

"I'm not scrawny," Odd argued," I'm svelte."

"Sure, that's it," Ulrich laughed a bit," If you want to try and be friends with me, there is something you need to know. I'm not always the best person to hang around with."

"So what?" Odd smiled," We all have problems here. That's why we come here. I want to be your friend, no matter what."

"Okay, if you insist," Ulrich smiled a bit as well," I'm going to wait outside."

Odd nodded and Ulrich went out. He didn't know why Odd wanted to be friends with him, but it was better than just being without friends. It was awhile before Odd came out. The two of them headed to class together. They sat behind a blonde boy with glasses and a girl with pink hair.

"So, now that we're going to be friends, would you tell me about your father?" Odd asked," You said something about him earlier."

"Sorry, can't do that," Ulrich told him," That's one thing I can't tell you. All I can tell you is that we never got along."

"Alright, alright," Odd agreed," Everyone has their secrets."

Soon after they said that, A girl came up to the two of them. She had straight black hair, reaching about halfway down her back with a yellow headband in it. Her short sleeved shirt was pink and the sleeves were a bit puffy. It was cut off at her mid-drift and had a yellow heart in the center. She also wore a hot pink wrap around skirt over dark pink pants. Pink sneakers covered her feet.

Two guys followed behind her, one with blonde hair and one with black hair. The blonde one just kind of stared. The one with black hair also wore glasses. His face was covered in acne and he looked like a bit of a nerd. Why they followed her, neither of them could figure it out.

"Well, aren't you cute," she smiled at Ulrich, then looked at Odd next to him," You know, there's a seat next to me open if you want to sit with me instead of some loser."

"Thanks, but I'm allergic to total snobs," Ulrich scowled at her, mad for what she said about Odd.

"But I'm a rare flower," she said," One of only a few. You'd be lucky to get a girl like me. I'll let you decide though. My name's Sissi by the way." With that, she went back to her own desk.

"What a jerk," Odd said," Though I wonder what she meant that she's a rare flower."

"Maybe she's a shade," Ulrich looked over at her," There are only four shades in the world once every generation or two. One for each of the four main elements, which they can manipulate. Or an elemental, which is similar, but not the same."

"Wait, but we're not supposed to reveal our true nature, right?" Odd now looked back as well," We should report her to the principal."

"Maybe," Ulrich shrugged and turned back around.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Xana woke up late and had to skip breakfast. She got dressed quickly and ran out of the room towards her classroom. She got there and she started panting. She was tired. She saw there was only a couple of seats left. One of them was near Aelita and she sat down there.

"Hey, Aelita," Xana smiled," I woke up a bit late, but I'm here now."

"Well, at least you got here in time," Aelita laughed a bit," You should set an alarm or something."

"No, I think I'm alright," Xana said," I was just tired from my trip. I'm sure it won't happen again."

"Oh, Jeremie, this is my roommate, Xana," Aelita told him.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Xana," he just waved a bit. Xana just nodded her head, then started taking her supplies out.

Odd was staring at the girl that came in. She was sitting close and he could hear what she said and what was said back, but didn't really pay attention to anything but her name. He went over. "Let me help you with that," Odd grabbed one of the books with a smile.

"Oh, thank you," she continued taking things out with him.

"So, your name is Xana," Odd tried to start a conversation," I think that's a nice name. My name is Odd."

"Your name is actually Odd?" Xana giggled a bit," That's a unique name. I like it."

"Thanks," he gave her a big grin. He then finished helping her. "Well, I think that's it," he said," Maybe we could see each other again later though? Like, sit together at lunch or something?"

"Sure, I'd like that," she agreed," As long as you don't mind if I bring friends."

"Whoever you want," Odd smiled from his success," I'll bring my friend as well."

The the teacher then came into the classroom. Not long after, the bell rang and classes started.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

After classes, they were supposed to meet at lunch. Odd had convinced Ulrich to come during classes, but Xana still hadn't asked Aelita and Jeremie if they wanted to come. When they left, she decided to do so.

"Hey, would you two want to sit with me at lunch?" Xana asked them," I'll be sitting with another friend, but he said he doesn't mind you coming."

"I'd love to," Aelita agreed.

Jeremie was about to agree when he felt himself changing again. It was both his arms this time and he hid them behind his back.

"Actually, I think I'm going to skip lunch," he gave them a nervous smile," I have to... review the notes I took. I think I missed something. I just want to be sure." He ran off, not wanting them to see his arms by accident.

As he was running, he suddenly stooped as his head started throbbing, which usually happened only when he changed to his full dragon form. He fell to his knees and had his head in his hands. The girls came over to him, asking him if he was okay.

Jeremie did start to change into his full dragon form, which always hurt him. First thing that happened was his teeth growing out into fangs, then two large bulges on his back grew and finally formed into wings. His arms and legs shifted next. After that, he grew about twice his size from before and became covered in gleaming yellow scales.

The other students ran away, leaving the area. The girls were scared at first, but when he didn't so much as move, they realized he wasn't going to hurt them.

"Jeremie, you can't control when you change, can you?" It was Aelita who asked and Jeremie turned his head away, which confirmed the answer.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Odd was getting a bit annoyed now. Xana and her friends were late to meet them for lunch. "Where could they be?" He mostly asked himself.

"Well, I would be surprised if she ditched you, you're such a charmer," Ulrich laughed a bit.

"Ha ha ha! Very funny," Odd seemed to get more upset now. There was then screaming from outside and students were running from something.

"You don't think that could be what's holding them up?" Ulrich sounded a bit worried now.

"Only one way to find out," Odd got up without a second thought and left. Ulrich went after him.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

As the two boys arrived, they saw the dragon and Odd saw Xana near it.

"Hey, get away from her!" Odd shouted and got between her and Jeremie.

"Odd, wait!" Xana stopped him," He's a friend and he's not going to hurt us."

"Yeah, he just lost control of his dragon form," Aelita reassured him," He's not going to hurt anyone."

"Oh," Odd then backed down a bit.

"See, you shouldn't have been so reckless," Ulrich went over to Odd," Next time, try not to rush into things."

"I was worried," Odd shrugged," What else was I supposed to do?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Yumi and William had started talking after class, mostly Yumi, telling him bout her past and how her family came from Japan. He thought the story was interesting and he was starting to really like her.

They then heard the screaming as well and saw the dragon not to far from them. He wanted to protect Yumi and got in front of her, but after a few minutes, nothing happened. They went over to the others nearby to see what was going on.

Ulrich saw the two of them coming over. Though he did think the girl was pretty, he suddenly smelled a strong scent of vanilla, strong enough to cause a burning sensation in his nose. Though he didn't know which one had the scent.

For Yumi, it was the smell of wet dog, which she also couldn't tell who in the group it was coming from. For now, she just stayed by William and tried to ignore it, just as Ulrich tried to ignore the scent the he didn't know was her.

"What happened here?" William asked one of the group there.

"My friend, Jeremie, turned into his dragon form," Aelita explained," Though I don't think he's lost control of his dragon form, just when he changes to it."

"Wait, Jeremie?" William was surprised," That's my roommate. Cool, I'm rooming with a dragon. Can you turn back to your human form?"

Jeremie concentrated and eventually did. "I'm surprised you didn't freak out and run like everyone else," he sighed a bit," Well, I guess now you know what I am. I'm probably going to get in trouble for this."

"You there!" Just as he thought, it was Jim, the gym teacher and security guard for the school," All of you are going to go to the principal's office now!"

They all got dragged away into the office. The principal just sat there in silence for a moment. He finally asked," Can one of you tell me exactly what happened?"

William was the one who spoke up," Well, you see sir, we were all the lunch room. Most of us were at different tables, but I remember that everyone was there. My roommate here, Jeremie, was sitting next to me and said he had to leave for a moment. After that, we saw the dragon and came over. By the time we got there, we only found him."

The principal seemed lost in thought. "Well... I suppose if no one actually saw you turn, you aren't at fault here. I'll let it slide. I'll just need your names so I can report that all of you now know Jeremie's species. Jeremie, I'll also need your full name."

They all listed their names, one right after the other. "Aelita Shaeffer." "Yumi Ishiyama." "William Dunbar." "Ulrich Stern." "Odd Della Robia." "Xana Pilietis." "Jeremie Belpois." After jotting down their names, the principal dismissed them and they all left. Once they were far enough away, they stopped.

"That was some serious trouble you could have gotten yourself in," Yumi said," You should be more careful."

"I can't control when I change," Jeremie said," But I really have to thank you for that William. You didn't have to cover for me."

"Yeah, well, we're roommates now," William reminded him," We may as well be friends. I may prefer being myself, but that doesn't mean I don't want friends at all."

"Maybe we could all be friends," this was Xana's suggestion," I mean, we know each other's names now. Why not? We could get to know each other during our free time or during meals."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Odd agreed with a grin. Everyone seemed to be in agreement, except for Ulrich and Yumi, who both seemed to hesitate before they agreed as well. After that, everyone agreed to meet for breakfast the next day and went their own ways.

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**These chapters are long. As you can see, everyone has met each other now! Yay! And they also learned that Jeremie is a dragon. So, why not some reviews of what you think.**


	3. The Factory

**Author's Note/Disclaimer: Now that they're all acquainted, they'll get to know each other more and become friends. Yay! And there's an idea in here I'm using from someone who commented on the last chapter. Thanks to Monochrome Raven!**

**Code Lyoko is owned by Thomas Romain. I am in no way associated with the show, besides that I am a major fan of it and have this fanfiction.**

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**-Third Person POV-**

"Odd! Ulrich!" Xana waved to them with a smile, walking up, Aelita behind her. Since it was Sunday, they had no classes, so the group decided to meet in the park area. So far, it was just the four of them.

"Hey, Xana," Odd smiled at her and then asked," How are you today?"

"I'm good," she gave him a smile back," Can't wait for everyone else to arrive. I've got a surprise to show you."

"What is it?" Ulrich was the one who asked her.

"That's a secret for now," she held a finger up to her lips," Don't you know what surprise means?"

The four of them then heard Jeremie calling behind them and looked over. He was coming towards them with William as well.

"Hey, you two!" Aelita smiled and waved," Jeremie, I wanted to talk to you about something. Mind if we talk alone?"

"No, not at all," he said," We can talk in the school building. It's pretty empty since there are no classes."

The two of them went to talk alone, leaving William with the rest of the group. "So, where's Yumi?" William asked the group, since she wasn't there.

"Maybe she's still getting ready or heading over here," Ulrich said," You know how girls are." He then noticed that same scent strong scent of vanilla and turned around to see Yumi there. Now he knew where the scent was from. She looked angry at him.

"And how exactly are girls that's so bad?" She had asked this, trying to ignore the smell of wet dog. She still didn't know who's scent it was other than that it wasn't Jeremie and Aelita, since they weren't amongst the group right now.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Jeremie went into the building. "What is it?" He asked her.

"Well, I wanted to give you this," Aelita said, handing him a book about dragons," It belonged to my father. It's supposed to help dragons learn control."

"Oh, thanks," Jeremie blushed a bit, taking the book from her," I kind of need it, as you now know."

"Jeremie, I'd also like to ask you something," she kind of looked down, then continued," Have you heard the myths about elves and dragons?"

"You mean about the war between the two species?" Jeremie said," Yes, I know. The dragons hunted the elves for a long time because of the bond the species had to each other in order to prevent the elves from using it. The elves killed the dragons just to survive for centuries before the elves learned about the bond and used it to control the dragons, as the dragons tried to prevent. It eventually stopped the war and peace was even reached between the two."

"Yeah, that's what my father told me," Aelita admitted," He taught me a lot about dragons and elves. I knew about the bond, but I don't know the extent of it or how it works. He never told me that because he doesn't know personally."

"Well, they're bound for life to the first elf or dragon they come in contact with," Jeremie explain," But it can't be physical. It has to be mental like hearing their thoughts or spiritual like an intimate moment through eye contact. Then the elves gain some control of the dragon and their magic. The two are bonded until death, which both die if one does. Though there are so few of the two species left, these connections are rare now."

"Oh, that seems almost unfair that elves should have control like that over dragons," Aelita looked away from him, not sure if she was bonded to him since she felt that kind of connection when she first met him," It's like taking away their freedom."

"They can only order them in their shared tongue," Jeremie told her," The original language of the elves and dragons was a shared one. The two were actually both descended from the same ancestors, which was why the species had that bond and why elves could control dragons using the language. So unless the elf is fluent in that language, the dragon doesn't have to listen."

Aelita almost felt relieved, since the language was all but dead now. Out of those left of their species, there were even less who could speak it. She then remembered their friends were waiting for them. "We should get back to the others," she suggested.

Jeremie nodded in agreement and they joined the others to see Yumi was mad at Ulrich. "Did we miss something?," he asked.

"Oh, just these two arguing like an old married couple," Odd joked," Anyway, Xana said she had something to show us. So lead the way."

"Right," Xana smiled and went towards the park. She stopped at a manhole almost hidden between some bushes, going down. "It's down this way at the end of the sewer. You'll see once we get there."

The sewer ended at a ladder, which exited at a bridge. Xana had taken them to an old abandoned factory of some kind. It was large and tan in color, but the color was faded. Most of the windows were either blown out or boarded.

They went in to see the large open area inside. They were on the upper floor, but there were worn ropes leading down below. "We can come here to hang out," Xana said," We can even go into our real forms and we don't have to worry about getting caught since we're alone. The elevator doesn't work though, so we're restricted to these two floors."

"It's still a great place for a hang out spot," Odd smiled," Plus, I'm glad we wont get bothered by anyone here. It'll be nice to have a place where we can just be ourselves."

"Are you sure we should really do that?," Ulrich asked," It's still technically against the rules to tell other students what we are, even if we're alone."

"I don't see why it should matter," Odd said," No one's gonna know that we know each other's species. Besides, I'd like to have some time to let my tail out without worrying about someone seeing it. It bothers me having to hide it." He then let his tail out and his ears came up from his hair as well.

"So you're one of those shape shifting hybrids," Xana commented," Human, but mixed with animal genes. Aren't your type of shifters more rare than others?"

"Yeah, there aren't as many hybrid shifters as human shifters," Odd told her," There's just fewer of us."

"You know, if your tails bothering you, why not just hide it under your shirt?" Ulrish suggested," You can curl it up around your chest and put your shirt over it. What can you shift into anyway?"

"I can shift into a house cat or a wildcat," Odd told him," Both blond with purple stripes. But I tend to loose control in my wildcat form, so I don't use it often."

"Well, I think I can top that," Xana smirked a bit, then spread her wings out for them to see," Before you ask, I'm not an angel. I'm a siren, a natural singer. I could use my voice to seduce anyone. Don't worry, it only works when I want it to and only when I sing."

"Wow, your wings are beautiful," Aelita stared at them," I would give anything to be able to have wings or fly."

"Can I ask what kind of creature are you?," Jeremie wanted to know.

"I'd rather not say," Aelita told him," It's just that I'm not as interesting as the rest of you and I don't really want to say right now."

"Well, what about you three?" Xana asked William, Yumi and Ulrich now.

"Half demon," William replied," Though my demon form isn't all that great."

"Why don't you show us?" Yumi urged him," I think it'll be nice to see."

William gave her a small smile and changed, his wings, tail, and horns coming out. "This is my real form. Not very much, but it's not the only thing special about me. I also have telekinesis."

"That's pretty cool," Yumi said," People often get freaked out when they know what I am, so I think I'll keep that secret like Aelita. What about you, Ulrich?"

"Well... I'm not anything special," Ulrich lied," I mean... I just... turn into a wolf." Technically, he wasn't lying. Not completely anyway. He could turn into a wolf... about twice the size of a regular wolf. Not to mention the heightened senses, strength, and speed.

"So another shape shifter," Odd said," That's cool. Looking normal isn't all that great though. I'm one of the few shifters that can say I don't look so normal you can't tell I'm a shifter. My ears and tail make me a unique treasure."

"Oh, you're so modest," Xana said sarcastically, laughing a bit," So now that we know what everyone is mostly, why don't you go down to the first floor? I have to call my dad. I promised him I would."

The others nodded and went down without her. She went just outside the factory door and made her call. Once someone answered, she spoke," This is Xana... Yes, I think I've found the perfect subjects... No, not all of them, but I could always get rid of one of them... Alright, I'll wait for your orders then... Right, I'll check in later. Out."

She hung up and looked back at the group. They were talking and laughing, having fun now. She sighed and went down with them, putting on a smile and saying," Hey, don't have all the fun without me!"

* * *

**Xana, good guy or bad guy? What's she planning and who is she working for? And what does she have in mind for our group? You'll have to wait to find out. This chapter was interesting, no? It shed a bit more light on Xana and now the gang knows what everyone is... mostly. Review while you wait for the next chapter!**


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